Cover illustration: Altered morphology caused by overexpression of the SlTPR1 gene in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). SlTPR1 is widely expressed in tomato organs and tissues and SlTPR1 protein interacts with the tomato ethylene receptors NEVERRIPE (NR) and ETR1 in yeast and in vitro. Overexpression of SlTPR1 in tomato results in altered morphology in leaves, flowers, and fruits. Top row: alteration in leaf morphology by increasing overexpression of SlTPR1 from left to right, with the control on the extreme left. Second row: SlTPR1 overexpressing plants produced small and degenerated flowers (right) compared with the control (left). Part of each flower has been cut away to reveal the gynoecium (style and ovary). Third row: pollen grains from the SlTPR1 overexpressors were largely degenerated (right) compared with the control (left), stained with Alexanderís stain. Fourth row: fruits from plants that overexpressed SlTPR1 at a lower level were parthenocarpic, often beak-shaped, and sometimes unusually multi-lobed. Bottom row: unripe control fruit with seeds (left) and parthenocarpic SlTPR1 overexpressor (right). (Images and layout by Z Lin, S Zhong and D Grierson; see Lin et al., pp. 4271-4287.)
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